Extract at both of my local homebrew stores is starting to get pricier. Unfortunately, I do not have the will, or the space, to get into all grain brewing. Therefore, rather than pay 55-60 bucks per-batch (these places are pricey), I've decided to buy extract in bulk.
On Northern Brewer, a 50 pound bag of Briess golden light is 3$ per pound, whereas a 3 pound bag is 4$ per-pound, and a 1 pound bag is 5$ per pound.
Doing the math here, if you use 8 pounds of extract for a batch (2 separate 3-pound bags, and one single one-pound bag), you are saving 14$. I estimate that I'll be doing beers for 25-35% cheaper by buying extract in bulk. . I do two five gallon batches every season (to keep it "seasonal"). So roughly 8 batches a year. I figure, I'll be saving around 130$ a year by buying extract in-bulk.
However, herein lies the issue: I don't want to hamstring myself by buying 50 pounds of Briess Light, only to realize that virtually (this is all hypothetical) no brown ales, or, perhaps, stouts, use that extract. I've done a bit of research and those types of beers' extract bill all varies greatly. Another example: I buy a 50 pound bag of dark dry malt extract, but thus am unable to use that for fruity beers during the summer. See the issue?
Thus, I'm at an impasse. The way I see it, I either need to....
(A) bite the bullet and get into all-grain (but I don't have a grinder at home...)
(B) just come to peace with the fact that my local shops are more expensive, or just buy everything online...and get the yeast locally. I see this as sub-optimal. I'd either be paying premium for premade-recipes or paying premium for one-off recipes I design (higher cost per pound of extract).
(C) Select an extract that is flexible, and search for recipes that use that extract. However, that would hinge on folks here helping me choose a flexible extract.
On Northern Brewer, a 50 pound bag of Briess golden light is 3$ per pound, whereas a 3 pound bag is 4$ per-pound, and a 1 pound bag is 5$ per pound.
Doing the math here, if you use 8 pounds of extract for a batch (2 separate 3-pound bags, and one single one-pound bag), you are saving 14$. I estimate that I'll be doing beers for 25-35% cheaper by buying extract in bulk. . I do two five gallon batches every season (to keep it "seasonal"). So roughly 8 batches a year. I figure, I'll be saving around 130$ a year by buying extract in-bulk.
However, herein lies the issue: I don't want to hamstring myself by buying 50 pounds of Briess Light, only to realize that virtually (this is all hypothetical) no brown ales, or, perhaps, stouts, use that extract. I've done a bit of research and those types of beers' extract bill all varies greatly. Another example: I buy a 50 pound bag of dark dry malt extract, but thus am unable to use that for fruity beers during the summer. See the issue?
Thus, I'm at an impasse. The way I see it, I either need to....
(A) bite the bullet and get into all-grain (but I don't have a grinder at home...)
(B) just come to peace with the fact that my local shops are more expensive, or just buy everything online...and get the yeast locally. I see this as sub-optimal. I'd either be paying premium for premade-recipes or paying premium for one-off recipes I design (higher cost per pound of extract).
(C) Select an extract that is flexible, and search for recipes that use that extract. However, that would hinge on folks here helping me choose a flexible extract.
